Piston-ring tool



Dec. 18 1923.

E. F. WESTMAN PISTON RING TOOL Filed Feb. 25 1922 atented cc. 18, 1923.

NITED" STATES tartan PISTON-RING TOOL.

Application filed February 25, 1922. Serial No. 589,195.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I EMU. 1*..VES'IMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tonka Bay. in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piston- Ring Tools; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable 1e others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a piston ring tool, and particularly to a tool designed to remove and replace piston rings of the orit dinary internal combustion or automobile engine. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the piston rings of such engines usually fit in grooves in the piston and are formed as substantially complete annuli split at one side. Such rings are resilient and are expanded to be placed over the piston and spring into place in the grooves therein. 0

It is an object of this invention to provide a sim le and efiicient tool by means of which i; e rings can be taken hold of and expanded to remove the same from the piston or to replace the same thereon.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a tool in the form of a pair of pliers, the operative ends of which are formed to fit over the end portions of the ring and to contact with the radial ends thereof. 7

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the tool showing the same in normal position and applied to a piston ring;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing the tool when the ring has been taken hold of and expanded thereby;

Fig. 3 is a view in central vertical section of the tool;

Fig. 4 is a View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, as indicated by the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section taken at on such a line aS 66 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the tool is seen to comprise a pair of pliers comprising the members 1 and 2 pivotally connected by a headed and nutted pivot bolt 3. The members 1 and 2 are preferably constructed of channel shape, as shown in Figs. 4 and 4", and comprise the handle portions 1 and 2 and the operative ends 1 and 2. A spring 4 is suitably disposed between the members 1 and 2 and acts to hold the tool in the position shown in Fig. 1. The outer ends of the portions 1 and 2 are each formed as an arcuate rectangular channel having the side portions 5, and at the inner sides of these portions, projections 6 extend across the said channels and project slightly beyond the side members 5 thereof. As shown in Fig. 6, these projections 6 are formed to diverge slightly from each other.

The piston rings illustrated as A in Figs. 1 and 52 comprise split annuli or rings usually of rectangular cross section. In the use of the tool, the same will be grasped in the hand in the position shown in Fig. 1 and the ends of the projection 6 will be inserted between the ends of the ring A, as shown in Fig. 1. The side portions 5 of the channel formed on the ends of the tool will fit over the end portions of the ring and the end portions of the ring will seat in said channels and contact with the bottoms thereof. The ends of the ring are thus embraced by the ends of the tool and when the handle portions 1 and 2 are pressed together, as shown in Fig. 2, the ends of the ring will be securely held and the ring will be expanded. In this condition the ring can be readily lifted over the piston. The resiliency of the ring, together with the support afforded to same by the sides 5 of said channels, maintain the ring in a horizontal position in the tool and it can be readily lifted over the piston, as stated. There are usually several ring grooves in a piston having the rings therein. With the present tool, one of the intermediate rings can be readily taken hold of,expanded and lifted over one of the other rings. It has hereto, usually been necessary to remove the end rings in order to get off an intermediate ring. The ring is not only easily removed but it is efiiciently and conveniently handled and supported by the tool. With such a tool it is an easy till matter to remove and replace the piston rings on the piston.

The device can be easily and inexpensively made and the parts stamped or made by die casting. There are no parts liable to become disarranged and the tool oncev properly assembled, can be used indefinitely.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form details and proportions ofthe device without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and described and-set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A piston ring tool having in combination arcuate channel-shaped means adapted to fit over one end portion of the ring and having a portion extending across one end of said channel and projecting beyond the sides thereof to contact one end of the ring, arcuate channel-shaped means fittin over the other end portion of the ring an having a portion extending across one end of the channel and projecting beyond the side thereof to contact the other end of the ring, means for separating said means to expand the ring, and means normally holding said means in closeproximity.

2. A piston ring tool comprisin" a pair of pliers, the operative ends of w 'oh are each formed with an arcuate channel to fit over the end portion of a piston ring, and having a projection extending across the end of said channel and beyond the sides thereof.

3. A piston ring tool comprising a pair of pliers, the operative ends of which are each formed as concave arcuate channels having their outer lateral ends open and their adjacent ends closed, said latter ends projecting beyond the sides of said channels adapted to be inserted between the ends of a piston ring.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signa' ture.

EMIL F. WESTMAN, 

